Kidney Failure (Acute Kidney Failure)

Acute kidney failure happens when your kidneys lose their ability to rid your body of waste, excess fluid and salts. When your kidneys no longer filter properly, the fluids, salts and wastes accumulate in your body. Acute kidney failure develops quickly, within hours or days.
Signs can include urinating less, swelling in your legs, ankles or feet because of the fluid you're retaining, drowsiness, shortness of breath and fatigue. You are most at risk of acute kidney failure if you are hospitalized with another serious problem that requires intensive care. Other risk factors include being elderly, having diabetes, high blood pressure, heart failure and liver disease.
Acute kidney failure can be fatal. However, it can be successfully treated with drugs and dialysis.

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Kidney failure is usually, but not always, permanent. Some kinds of acute kidney failure get better after treatment. In some cases of acute kidney failure, dialysis may only be needed for a short time until the kidneys get better.

In chronic or end-stage kidney failure, your kidneys do not get better and you will need dialysis for the rest of your life. If your doctor says you are a candidate, you may choose to be placed on a waiting list for a new kidney.

Dialysis does some of the work of healthy kidneys, but it does not cure your kidney disease. You will need to have dialysis treatments for your whole life unless you are able to get a kidney transplant.

It is normal to have concerns about how you will feel, whether the treatment will hurt, what your relationship with the staff and other patients will be like, and how long you can live with the disease. The following steps can help you cope with your feelings:

Ask your kidney doctor if you can visit a dialysis center. Visiting the center can help you make choices.

If you are interested in a transplant, ask your doctor for a referral to a transplant center. Set up an appointment to visit with the staff and make a list of questions to ask.

Speak to others who have been through the same experience.

Discuss all your concerns with the healthcare team at the treatment center.

Call your local National Kidney Foundation for information and a list of the programs and services available. Find out your local NKF office by visiting the NKF website at www.kidney.org. The National Kidney Foundation has a patient hotline for people affected by kidney disease, organ donation or transplantation. It's dedicated to patients, family members and caregivers. Call toll-free at 1-855-NKF-Cares (653-2273) to speak with a trained professional who will answer your questions and listen to your concerns.

Kidney or renal failure occurs when the kidneys are unable to do their job of filtering blood and ridding the body of waste products. One cause of renal failure relates to narrowings of the renal arteries, starving the kidneys of oxygen and nutrients.

When you develop end-stage kidney failure, your kidneys aren't able to function on their own anymore. This usually occurs when you lose about 85-90% of your kidney function. Dialysis can help those with kidney failure live longer, healthier lives.

Medicare may pay up to 80% of the costs associated with dialysis and kidney transplant. But Medicare alone is not enough. Many other sources of coverage are available to help pay for what Medicare does not cover, including:

employer health insurance, private health insurance, COBRA

state programs such as Medicaid and high-risk insurance pools

veteran’s benefits

state kidney programs

Medigap (Medicare supplemental health insurance)

To learn more about all your options for insurance coverage, you can speak to:

your state insurance commissioner and ask what options are available to you where you live

an independent insurance broker

the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) at 1-855-NKF-CARES (653-2273) (toll-free), or your local NKF office

There are many things that can cause kidneys to stop working or to not work properly. As we age, kidney function decreases. There are many diseases that can affect the kidneys. These can be diseases you are born with (for example, polycystic kidney disease) or develop sometime during your life (such as glomerulonephritis).

Two common diseases that cause kidney failure include diabetes (both type 1 and type 2) and high blood pressure (hypertension). Also, diseases that cause failure in other organs, such as the heart or liver, often will cause damage to the kidneys. Kidneys can become damaged if they are not getting good blood flow. This can happen if you become dehydrated or seriously ill. Other things that can damage the kidneys include kidney stones, urinary tract infections, and medications or drugs.

If you have had an organ transplant, you will take medications to prevent your body from rejecting your new organ. Some of these medications may be hard on the kidneys and over time can cause damage.

If you choose to stop dialysis, your wishes about where you want to die will be honored as much as possible. Many people choose to die at home, where they feel more comfortable in familiar surroundings. If you choose this option, your social worker can assist you and your family in making any special arrangements for your care at home. A nursing home may be another option for some people. A hospital admission is not always available, depending on your insurance coverage and your overall medical condition. Your healthcare team can help you decide if hospitalization is an option for you if you wish.

End-stage renal failure, or kidney failure, occurs when your kidneys are no longer able to support you in a reasonably healthy state, and dialysis or transplantation is needed. This happens when your kidneys function at only 10% to 15%.

Three types of treatment can be used once your kidneys have failed: kidney transplantation, hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.

Your Medicare coverage will not end, even if you decide to stop dialysis. It is important that you and your family speak with your doctor about the type of care you will need. Once this is decided, you can check on whether your insurance will cover this care.